Gareth Evans to step down as coach of Women’s U19s

Scotland Women’s Under-19s head coach Gareth Evans has announced he will step down from the role.

He leaves after leading Scotland to the UEFA Women’s Under-19 Championships in Northern Ireland, where they narrowly missed out on qualification to the semi-finals.

During his four years in charge he twice led Scotland to the UEFA Women’s Under-19 Championships, first in 2014 where they became the first Scottish Women’s team to win a game at a major UEFA tournament and most recently this year, where the team posted a 100% record in qualification.

His final game in charge was a 2-0 defeat to England in the Championships fifth-place play-off match last week, with the winner qualifying for the Under-20 World Cup.

He took up the position in 2013 after coaching roles at Hibernian and Livingston, succeeding new Scotland Women’s National Team head coach Shelley Kerr.

Gareth Evans said: “It has been a real privilege to have worked with the Scottish FA and to have played a part in the development of women’s football in this country, leading the Women’s Under-19 team into the top ten in Europe and seeing many players progress to the A Squad.

“I am proud of what we managed to achieve together over the last four years but I feel that the time is right to step down. I wish all the players well and look forward to seeing many of the current Under-19 squad progressing into Shelley’s team in the future.

“I will now set my sights on new opportunities and I’m open minded about the next stage of my coaching career.”

Stewart Regan, Chief Executive at the Scottish FA, said: “Gareth has worked tirelessly to help develop the next generation of full Scottish women internationals over the past four years and has had a tremendous impact on the success of our women’s teams at both Under-19 and senior level.

“This is an exciting time for girls’ and women’s football in Scotland, with the senior team having just participated in their first major tournament finals, and Gareth deserves his share of plaudits for helping to develop so many talented young players.

“We wish Gareth the best of luck in his future endeavours and now turn our attention to sourcing a replacement capable of building on the strong foundations he has laid and developing our emerging talent.”